Confused. What surgeon should I choose???

[deppmode]

Hi all who read this. I will be brief. I have been reading hundreds of posts on countless threads on this site and I feel I have learned lots. Thanks to you all for that.

 

I have had several on line consultations with the top surgeons such as Dr Feller, Hasson & Wong, Dr Rahal, Dr True and Dr Farjo. based on my photos they have all said that I need 3000+ grafts to fill in the hairline.

 

I feel that I am ready to book my procedure now but I simply don't know who to choose. Every time I read a new thread or see someone's photo of a successful procedure I am changing my mind about who to go with.

 

Is anyone else in this position. How do I narrow it down from here?

 

I would really appreciate any advice from anyone and I am planning to document my journey with posts and pics on this forum.

[deppmode]

Hi all who read this. I will be brief. I have been reading hundreds of posts on countless threads on this site and I feel I have learned lots. Thanks to you all for that.

 

I have had several on line consultations with the top surgeons such as Dr Feller, Hasson & Wong, Dr Rahal, Dr True and Dr Farjo. based on my photos they have all said that I need 3000+ grafts to fill in the hairline.

 

I feel that I am ready to book my procedure now but I simply don't know who to choose. Every time I read a new thread or see someone's photo of a successful procedure I am changing my mind about who to go with.

 

Is anyone else in this position. How do I narrow it down from here?

 

I would really appreciate any advice from anyone and I am planning to document my journey with posts and pics on this forum.

[chargedup]

I don't know what kind of procedure you want the Strip or FUE, but if you're going Strip, you should take a look at Dr. Ross in San Diego.

 

From what I've been reading on a few of these boards, yes those docs you mentioned above seem to have great reps, but some of those docs you're looking into make me raise an eyebrow as to why they are so highly touted when I read about their techniques and compare them to my experience I recently had.

 

And man I can get with your apprehension, many days before the scheduled appointment I was second guessing everything, I only slept for about two hours the night before, but was wired when I arrived at the office at 6 a.m. One thing that helped was the nurse giving me a valium pill and then the doc gave me a shot in the arm with more of the same, not enough to put me to sleep (a couple of times I nodded off during the whole 10 hour ordeal, but never longer than a half hour or so), but there was no real pain at all... Either from the valium stuff or the way they handle the needles....something did the trick.

[deppmode]

It will be strip with trico. Cant imagine I will be suitable for fue.

[Eman]

deppmode- not sure how chargedup's doc's technique is any better than the docs you mentioned (but not going to debate this in your thread).

 

Anyway, the list of docs you have is a great start. I had the same issue as you, but had it narrowed down to two in the end before finally making my decision and it was a tough one.

 

At some point you are simply going to have to narrow down your list and this can be done by continued research, speaking to past/current patients, and following the progress of current patients some more. Some have compared it to choosing between a Mercedes, BMW, or Lexus. All are great cars and at some point if you want the car (or have the procedure) you need to simply choose the best car (doc) for you.

 

Good luck!!

[Hair of the dog]

Hi Deppmode

 

I would suggest narrowing down your choice to your top 2 or 3 docs and then asking the clinics if the doc can call you to talk through your pics and answer questions. The docs I consulted with were all happy to do this and if gave me a good idea for who I would feel more comfortable going with (and definately helped me rule one of them out ).

 

Other things to consider are whether you want a doc with a conservative or more aggresive approach, and other factors such as are you prepared to shave down. Different docs can have different viewpoints and research is the key.

 

All the best.

[canadian_buba]

I would say once you have it down to 2-3 doctors, talk to past clients at various stages in the process to see how happy they are with the doctor. I found I wanted a little more than just the results pictures to help me make up my mind.

[chargedup]

Originally posted by Eman:

deppmode- not sure how chargedup's doc's technique is any better than the docs you mentioned (but not going to debate this in your thread).

 

I don't want to debate it either.

 

I'd like to at least explain...

 

It seems (from what I've read) that some of your picks for docs use staples (instead of a less painful suture job) and make their patients shave a lot of area to make it easier for them to work, when its not necessary, the job can be done all the same and you can try and keep what you already have, looking and feeling better during the falling out and re-growth staging.

[Leeson]

Chargedup is right about not shaving (and the staples), if your hairloss is to the point where your hair is "see through" and scalp can easily be seen. Also, top docs usually limit this to ~2,500 FU's. Even Shapiro's rep. Janna said they once did someone w/ ~2,800 as the largest w/o shaving. The shaving is determinite to the amount of hair you already have. But whether to shave is a big decision, as some top docs require this (Feller, H&W, Rahal). I opted to shave, b/c I never got the density and results from not shaving, but this is probable due to the docs I chose. But shaving, many docs claim, makes a big difference in large sessions like the 3,000 your talking about.

 

P.S. Chargedup, I gotta have more cowbell!

[Cant decide]

Just so I am clear, when you guys say "Some top docs require shaving", do you mean with out a guard and down to the scalp or would a #2 clipper suffice? I can't imagine many patients would go for down to the scalp shaving as secrecy is always a huge issue with a HT. Its probably not so much an issue with the recipient area after a couple of weeks but the donor scar would be way too obvious for quite some time with a shaved head. Thoughts??

 

Thanks

[Leeson]

W/o a guard. go to weblog and look at your potiential doctors' patients post-op pics to get an idea.

[TC17]

Some docs don't require shaving at all. I know Konior in Chicago doesn't (if you're under 2,000), Shapiro in MN doesn't, Epstein in FL doesn't either, Bernstein in NY usually doesn't, Cooley in NC, and I'm sure there's a lot of others. For sure Hasson and Wong and Rahal require it though.

There's a lot on here about the pros and cons of shaving, but I personally can't afford to look ridiculous for weeks or months while I wait for it to grow back, so I'm 99% sure that I will have to go to a doc that doesn't require it.

[Eman]

Here is a good thread about shaving:

http://hair-restoration-info.c...=569105741#569105741

 

If you search Jotronic, he answers this question frequently.

[deppmode]

I don't mind shaving my hair if its going to benefit me in the long run. I have been wearing a baseball cap for the last few years so as long as I could wear a cap or a soft wool hat when I go out into public then I wouldn't mind having short hair with the transplant area exposed.

 

I know that there are a lot of you who probably had most or all of these surgeons on your list before you had your transplants. May I ask how you eventually choose one of these docs over the others in the end. I know Im kinda repeating myself again but Im really looking for what reasons you guys had for picking one as opposed to the other.

What factors did you consider?

 

Thanks to all who have offered advise already. It is invaluable to me. I am listening.

[Dazed]

Shaving is not an option for me so I will find that out right off the bat. ChargedUp I can help but think of you as INeedMoreCowbell.

[richie48]

hey depp

 

i'm from the uk and after 2 years of research and some less than satisfactory consultations in the uk , I went with Dr Feller .

 

My choices were , Hasson and Wong , Rahal , Feller and , believe it or not , Armarni , at the time his strip results were very impressive , however after more research I relized Armarni were more of a brand and this instantly turned me off them .

 

Dr Feller topped my list after many many consistant online patient results and a more realistic grafts estimate , Rahal had recently put his prices up and couldn't accomodate the dates I wanted , Hasson and Wong wanted to put double the amount of grafts in and that really priced me out of going with them .

 

So Dr Feller , proven to be one of the worlds best , he could accomodate my dates , the price and graft count were exactly what I wanted .

 

So they're my reasons , I've included a link to my 15 month update below , I think the results justify my careful approach and choice of surgeon .

 

http://hair-restoration-info.c...66060861/m/143109821

 

I hope that helps bud , good luck

 

richie

[deppmode]

Well I am a little closer to my choice of surgeon thanks to you guys who have posted responses and answered my private messages. I am so so grateful.

 

Now here is another angle.

 

If money or distance was no objet.....(I live in Ireland)

 

Who would you choose?

[richie48]

hey depp

 

if money and distance where no object i wouls still choose hasson or Wong in canada or Dr Feller in New York .

 

i think you may have to start planning online consults and travel plans bud .

 

richie

[flyby]

Good luck with your search Deppmode. Since you're going for 3000 plus and don't have a problem shaving down the donor area and are coming from Ireland, I'd say Dr. Feller and Dr. Rahal would be 2 excellent Dr's to consult with.

 

Dazed - Shaving was definitely not an option for me either. There are some great doctors out there that don't require this if the number of grafts you need is less than 3000. I chose to have my HT with Dr. Alexander base primarily on his work I'd seen. The other aspects of my decision were based on his not requiring shaving and location. I'm definitely happy with my decision.

 

The other Dr's I've seen who do some nice work without requiring shaving the recipient are Dr. Shapiro, Dr. Konior and Dr. Cooley. Haven't seen as much of Dr. Brandon Ross's work but looks like he did a clean job with chargedup. Good luck with your search and I'm sure after looking at many examples of work you'll be able to narrow your search down.

[deppmode]

Hey guys. Im still doing my research, looking at flights , hotels, surgeon prices.

Im thinking either Feller or Rahal for my procedure. Feller definitely seems to be easier to get to from Ireland with flights going direct every day from Dublin. Rahal is a little harder to get to but he is a bit cheaper.

I want the travel and accommodation to be as little stress as possible as I know the procedure will be stressful enough.

 

Has anyone else from Dublin used either of these surgeons? Any travel or hotel recommendations?

[Eman]

If price or distance were not an option, the doc to choose after ALL your research will be the one you feel the most comfortable with, love the results you have seen, and fully trust your dome with that doc.

 

When you finally pick a doc that will work best for you, price or distance will and should not be an issue at all!

 

Good luck!

[kaounis]

Dr. Hasson, Dr. Feller, Dr. Rahal, it seems your off to a good start. I think that you won't go wrong with any of them. I've met Dr. Rahal, excellent surgeon and a great guy. Very straightforward and understanding, his work, top notch. If you compare price, on surgeons hotels, food, etc., your best bet would be Dr. Rahal...hands down...

 

 

Just a thought from the peanut gallery....

[GTDL]

Deppmode,

If you're going with Dr. Feller stay at The Andrew Hotel:

http://www.andrewhotel.com/

I'm having my op with Dr. Feller in November and this hotel offer a 'Dr. Feller' discount.

[Ceasar08]

From your list, my choice would be between Feller, H&W, and Rahal. You cannot go wrong with any of them. Personally, I would run with your gut feeling and just go for it....whichever doctor made you feel the most comfortable. You did the research, and now you are simply choosing among the very best.

[AMR1]

Originally posted by Eman:

If price or distance were not an option, the doc to choose after ALL your research will be the one you feel the most comfortable with, love the results you have seen, and fully trust your dome with that doc.

 

When you finally pick a doc that will work best for you, price or distance will and should not be an issue at all!

 

Good luck!

 

I agree with this qoute